In May of 1996 Mayor Fred
Hanna inaugurated a Curb the Clutter program to help combat litter on City
streets. He challenged local groups and individuals to "adopt" a street
and pledge to pick up litter at least four times a year. After the first
clean-up, the City erects a sign saying, for example, "This street kept
litter-free by employees of Merrill-Lynch".

To begin, City sanitation
workers compiled a list of what they considered the City's 25 most
neglected streets, but volunteers were also permitted to select their own
streets for clean-up. Schools and church groups, for instance, often
picked streets nearby.

The City provides safety
vests for volunteers, distributes safety leaflets to each group, and
provides bags for both trash and recyclable materials. City employees also
arrange with volunteers on the locations for litter pickup.

The City celebrated the
first anniversary of the program with a news conference May 8 where the
Mayor presented certificates of appreciation to organizations and
individuals who have adopted streets. Mayor Hanna says he considers the
Curb the Clutter program a big success. So far, more than 30 groups and
individuals have adopted a City street, and new volunteers sign up
regularly.